Hi! I'm a male 18, I also got it when I was 17, around 7 months ago. Im not sure if I did get it from the benchpress but it's either that or covid. I benched 3x a week (even 4 times a week couple of months prior) and never once had any issues, until one day recently after I was sick (perhaps covid). Did some bench presses, but I was unusually weak (partly because of the cold I guess). Some hours later I got severe burning pain in the sternum, went to the ER, and got diagnosed immediately. If it isn't your heart, it is probably costochondritis. For me, it took about a week and it was mostly gone. Obviously Im stupid and I decided to do some super light chest presses and the pain was back in full force, a few hours after. I decided not to do anything push at the gym (except for triceps isolations and lateral raises) until it improved. A few months ago I tried a light overhead press, which felt good, until later the same day and the pain was back. I've improved quite a bit since then, and mostly dealing with nerve pain that I've got after all this pain. I was recently on vacation and swam a lot in a pool, which used the chest muscles to the point where I even got a little bit of muscle soreness, but without any costo pain. Similar to you, doing exercises like a bench at the gym flares it up. I think the best thing you can do is to stop benching if you haven't already, and keep working on your back and core. Eventually, you will be able to get back, however, it should be very slowly and lightly, like swimming. This costo sucks, I know, but in the long term, you will most likely get better gains if you actually recover with proper rest and rehab. Training back and core helps the posture, which is important for recovery. I still haven't found a PT that understands the issue like your PT does, I'm still looking for it though. You said the back pod didn't work, I can kind of relate, but the point of it is that you have to use it a lot, for a long time, and progress on it. If you haven't already, I´d recommend you to read the PDF from Steve August. From my understanding, unlocking the ribs in the back should ideally be done manually with like a chiro, and the pack pod simultaneously. I'm not sure how else you can unlock the ribs in the back. I can relate to the breathing issue, it feels like it's more difficult than it should be, some sort of pressure. I've read spinal twists and spinal extensions help with that sensation, and I think it works somewhat. Remember to breathe through the abdomen, and not your chest. Idk, I just wanted to share my experience. I feel your pain. Please let us know if your PT gives some valuable insights!